Transport and Tourism in Bulgaria

Original publication: September 2017
Author: Beata TUSZYŃSKA, Seconded National Expert
Short link to this post: http://bit.ly/2zbS1c2
Available languages:

Download the Study

This overview of the transport and tourism sectorsin Bulgaria was prepared to provide information for the mission of the Transport and Tourism Committee to the country between 18 and 20 September 2017

Introduction

Bulgaria is located in the south-eastern part of the Balkan mountains. The north of the country is dominated by the vast lowlands of the Danube Plain with the river Danube defining the border with neighboring Romania. By contrast, highlands and elevated plains cover most of the southern part of the country.

Bulgaria neighbors with five countries: Romania in the north, Serbia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in the west, Greece and Turkey in the south, while the country’s eastern border extends along the Black Sea. In 2016, the country was inhabited by just over 7 million people, which constituted 1.4% of the EU’s population. The most populated cities include Sofia (the country’s capital with more than 1 million inhabitants), Plovdiv (with over 700 thousand), Varna, Burgas and Stara Zagora (all with populations below 500 thousand).

In 2015, the most important sectors of Bulgaria’s economy were industry (23.0%), wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services (21.0%) and public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities (14.5%). For the same year, Bulgaria’s main export partners were Germany, Italy and Turkey, while its main import partners were Germany, Russia and Italy.

Bulgaria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth remained robust in 2016 at 3.4%, however the country’s economy is expected to grow at a slightly slower pace in the following two years (please see Table 1 below). The domestic demand is believed to be the main growth engine, driven in particular by private consumption and investment following the acceleration in EU funds absorption under the 2014-2020 EU programming period.

Bulgaria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth remained robust in 2016 at 3.4%, however the country’s economy is expected to grow at a slightly slower pace in the following two years.

At the moment, the country does not have a target date to adopt the euro, and the Bulgarian Lev (BGN) remains the country’s national currency. Bulgaria is currently in the process of joining the Schengen Area. In 2015, Bulgarian contribution to the EU budget amounted to EUR 424 million, which represented 0.99% of the country’s Gross National Income (GNI). At the same time, Bulgaria received EUR 2,730 million from the EU’s budget, equivalent of 6.38% of the country’s GNI. From 1 January 2018, Bulgaria will take over from Estonia the six-month presidency in the European Council.

In Bulgaria, transport by road remains the predominant mode for both passengers and freight. This share is particularly high in passenger transport where transportation by car as well as by buses and coaches had a cumulative 96% market share in 2014. As far as freight transport is concerned, more sustainable modes of transport such as rail and inland waterways jointly achieved 44% market share in the same year.

The timeliness of shipments has declined between 2014 and 2016, with Bulgaria now ranking second to last in the EU. In addition, the analysis of the World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI) shows that Bulgaria is the least performing Member State and 72 out of total 160 states compared by the World Bank in 2016.

Although Bulgaria managed to improve its road mortality rate by almost 9% between 2010 and 2016, the pace of changes was clearly below the EU average of 18.7% over the same period. As result, the country was ranked last among the EU Member States, with 99 deaths per million inhabitants (or a total of 708 fatalities) in 2016, which nearly doubled the EU average of 51.

The system of ports in Bulgaria consists of sea and river ports. There are two seaports along the Black Sea coast that constitute part of the TEN-T network: Varna (comprehensive) and Burgas (core), and a total of six inland ports located along the Danube River, with the ports in Russe and Vidin included in the core TEN-T network.

There are two multimodal TEN-T Core Network Corridors (CNC) that cross Bulgaria.

Bulgaria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth remained robust in 2016 at 3.4%, however the country’s economy is expected to grow at a slightly slower pace in the following two years.

The two summer months (July and August) accounted for 46% of total nights spent (25,186 thousand nights) in Bulgarian tourist accommodation in 2016. At 6.5, the country was among the three Member States with the highest seasonal deviation (after Croatia and Greece) in the same year.

Related Posts

Original publication: July 2019 Authors: José Manuel VASSALLO, Laura GARRIDO. Short link to this post: http://bit.ly/2lHo8Mc Available languages: Summary The study provides recommendations for improving the future effectiveness of European Union (EU) funding instruments that Read more…

Become an Insider!

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our blog. If you continue to use this site we will assume your consent, however you may confirm or opt out if you wish.I consentI do not consent